What preps work for both north and south Indian lunchboxes?

Question

What preps can work for both north and south Indian lunchboxes? Discover versatile dishes that can be adapted to suit different tastes.

Answer 1

Prepping ingredients like chopped vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers), cooked lentils, and versatile chutneys (mint-coriander, tamarind) work well for both North and South Indian lunchboxes. These can be used in various dishes across both cuisines.

Detailed Explanation:

Preparing lunchboxes, especially when catering to diverse tastes of North and South Indian cuisine, requires smart prepping. Here's a breakdown of ingredients and dishes that can be prepped in advance and used for both:

1. Chopped Vegetables: Carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, and onions can be chopped and stored in airtight containers. These can be used in salads, raitas (North Indian), or as a side with sambar rice (South Indian).
2. Cooked Lentils: Lentils like moong dal or masoor dal can be cooked in bulk. They can be used to make dal tadka (North Indian) or sambar (South Indian) with slight variations in spices.
3. Versatile Chutneys: Mint-coriander chutney and tamarind chutney are versatile. Mint-coriander chutney can be used as a spread in sandwiches (North Indian influence) or as a side with idli/dosa (South Indian). Tamarind chutney can be paired with snacks like samosas or used as a base for certain South Indian rice dishes.
4. Rice: Cooking rice in advance is a time-saver. It can be used for making jeera rice (North Indian) or lemon rice/tamarind rice (South Indian).
5. Dough: Preparing roti/paratha dough in advance and storing it in the refrigerator can save time in the morning. This can be used for making rotis/parathas (North Indian) or even adapted into uttapam (South Indian) with added vegetables.
6. Spice Mixes: Creating a basic spice mix with common spices like turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder can be used as a base for many North and South Indian dishes.

Pro Tip:

When prepping vegetables, blanching them briefly before storing can help retain their color and crispness for longer. This is especially useful for vegetables like broccoli or green beans.